Does hard work really pay off? Hear a Chavez senior’s response!

Does hard work really pay off?

As a senior at Chavez Schools Parkside High School, Kierra James' answer is a firm YES! She proudly says YES as she approaches college and high school graduation, having put in a persistent effort, following clear goals, and taking advantage of the abundant resources and guidance made available to her through college counseling sessions.

Read Kierra's story below and consider helping her and her classmates reach their goals!

At the end of our conversation, I asked Kierra, “Now that you are a senior, looking back at your high school years, what would you say to the past Kierra?”

She paused for a second, and said emphatically, “All your hard work will pay off.”

A month and a half into her senior year, Kierra said with a smile that “everything is balancing out.”She is devoting her weekdays to school and cheerleading practices, and weekends to work. She has finished applying to six colleges and is planning on applying to four more.

She gets to finish most of her college application materials with the guidance of her College Counselor, Ms. Ashlie Savage, in school. Kierra spends about 90 minutes every week working with Ms. Savage to apply for colleges and scholarships. When asked about her college counseling experience, she exclaimed, “I love Ms. Savage! She will MAKE SURE that you are on top of things: she’ll pull you out of class, pull you out of lunch, and make you stay after school… She wants everybody to be able to go to college and not be in debt when they graduate.”

Committed to its mission of college success, Chavez Schools require students to apply to at least 10 colleges: 3 safety schools, 4 match schools, and 3 reach schools. In addition to the college tours mentioned in the previous “Sponsor A Student” newsletter, the College Success Department also provides college counseling sessions, college and career workshop lessons for juniors and seniors, and organizes college fairs. In the past two weeks alone, college admission officers from George Washington University and Delaware State University visited Chavez Schools’ Parkside High School, while Capitol Hill already has 25 colleges and universities registered to attend their college fair on November 2nd.

Help us ensure our students are exposed to a variety of post-secondary schools by contributing to our Sponsor a Student campaign!

We want all our students to be as inspired as Kierra and receive the support they need to be successful in competitive colleges.